This is a free outdoor event

Mughal Miniatures will use dance, live music, theatre, puppetry, intricate costuming and set design, creating living versions of Indian miniature paintings. The project celebrates the deep-rooted cultural, political and human links between the Midlands (but also UK in general) and the Indian subcontinent.

At its heart Mughal Miniatures purpose is to be upbeat and fun. Performers in traditional Mughal costume will create vibrant and colourful mini-worlds, inviting the general public to step back in time and join them in regal courts, on romantic balconies, in lush green gardens and in processions of deities.

The scenes will each have their own mood, from humorous to tragic, together forming a non-linear narrative. These beautiful and ornate scenes will transform from still pictures into bursts of dance and music, before returning back to well-behaved stills. Surrounded by brilliant reds, blues, greens, pinks and golds, willing audience members will be invited to become part of these interactive ‘living pictures’, taking on roles within the scenes, perhaps fanning the blue-skinned God Krishna or learning a short Kathak dance to please Akbar the Great.

One of the key artistic throughlines of the work will be undercutting of audience expectations, for what may, on the surface, look like a traditional South Asian work.

Credits

Birmingham 2022 Festival presents Muhgal Minatures.

A Creative City Project Generously funded by Birmingham City Council